Croatia vs England: FIFA World Cup 2018 Semi-Final Predictions, where to watch, line-ups and full preview

The Balkans stand in between the World Cup and 'home'

Will Harry Kane add to his impressive tally or will Modric rule the midfield?

England will take on Croatia for a spot in the FIFA World Cup 2018 final at the Luzhniki Stadium tonight, in what could be a historic night for either of the two countries. As chants of “it’s coming home” grow louder and louder, England are entering this semi-final match with a realistic chance of winning the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. Croatia, on the other hand, have been to the semi-finals once during their debut tournament in 1998. This time around, they will be looking to better that record with a place in the World Cup’s final fixture.

In what was arguably England’s best match so far in the tournament, the Three Lions outplayed Sweden in their quarterfinal match, beating them 2-0. Meanwhile, Croatia had to depend on a bit of luck to overcome hosts Russia in the quarterfinal. Let’s now take a look at how the two teams stack up before we make our prediction for this all-important FIFA World Cup 2018 Semi-final:

FIFA World Cup 2018 semi-final: Croatia vs England

Even though some may call England’s World Cup run lucky, the young team led by Harry Kane has managed to shake up the dynamic of international football. From winning a penalty shootout for the first time in their World Cup history to scoring six goals in a match, this team is boldly marching into uncharted territory and seem to be loving it. England are playing their first semi-final since 1990 and are eager to bring the World Cup back home — something which has eluded even their best squads in the previous tournaments.

The British entered this World Cup after crashing out in the group stages of the 2014 World Cup. While they knew that this team was capable of achieving something great, there was no real hype around them. This probably worked in coach Gareth Southgate’s favour. After securing qualification with comprehensive wins against Tunisia and Panama, they lost their only game against Belgium in a dead-rubber. The loss perhaps worked in their favour as England was now drawn in the relatively easier right side of the draw.

Facing Colombia in the Round of 16, England were tested in a true physical contest but managed to overcome all odds, even a penalty shootout to storm into the quarterfinals. Although Harry Kane is deservingly getting a lot of praise for his goal-scoring prowess, England have thoroughly impressed with their good all-round performances. Be it Jordan Pickford making impossible saves in the last minute or Harry Maguire dominating the headers, England have been riding high on good collective team performance.

Going forward, the Three Lions have never looked this threatening. Southgate’s plan to play both Walker and Trippier seems to work like a charm. Walker, being a right back, provides that extra man in the attack, while Trippier’s crosses have been pinpoint. Players like Lingard, Alli and Sterling have been terrorizing opposition defense with their run-ins.

Croatia, on the other hand, entered the tournament as an underdog but proved exactly why they have to be taken seriously with their 3-0 thrashing of 2014 finalists Argentina. Having finished the group stages with a perfect record of three wins (one of the three teams to achieve that), Croatia’s knockout rounds have been a nail-biting affair.

They faced Denmark in the Round of 16 in a fixture that had all the ingredients to be a contender for match of the tournament. Even after missing a penalty in the second half of extra time, it was Croatia who managed to scrape through with the help of a shootout. Croatia then ended hosts Russia’s dream run in a game which kept fans on the edges of their seats. Again, the hero was their goalkeeper Danijel Subašić, who made vital stops in the penalty shootout to ensure their journey to the semi-finals.

Thought to be the golden generation in Croatian football, players like Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Perisic are looking to better Croatia’s record from the country’s debut World Cup tournament in 1998 when they reached the semi-finals. While England won’t be an easy opponent tonight, the Croats will believe that they have what it takes to actually qualify for the finals against all odds. Let’s now take a look at the full FIFA World Cup 2018 semi-final predictions:

FIFA World Cup 2018 Semi-Final Predictions: Croatia vs England

Both teams look menacing on the attack and will look to catch the opposition on the counter at every given opportunity. While England’s defense has been stable, Croatia have a few major chunks they would like to close at the back. With what’s at stake and what a shot at becoming the World Cup champions means for both the teams, it is certain that England and Croatia will be going in all guns blazing. But we expect England to narrowly edge out Luka Modric and his men and reach their second ever World Cup final. Even popular bookmakers Bet365, narrowly predicts an English victory with odds of 27:20 as compared to 13:5 against Croatia.

The FIFA World Cup 2018 semi-final match will be broadcast live in India on Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 2 HD, Sony Ten 3, Sony Ten 3 HD, Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. You could also stream the match live on Sony Liv, if you have a premium subscription.